


Golden Wings

by Lostinthenightrain



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Minor Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:55:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27309535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lostinthenightrain/pseuds/Lostinthenightrain
Summary: She died that night at the Department of Mysteries. But when she came back, she was no longer the muggle born witch. She came back as something not seen before.
Comments: 5
Kudos: 36
Collections: Hermione Granger Mythical Creatures Fest 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by Anonymous in the [1st_HG_Mythical_Creatures_2020](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/1st_HG_Mythical_Creatures_2020) collection. 



> **Prompt:**
> 
> Valkyries (Mythical Norse female divinities who choose heroes to die in battle and carry them to the great Valhalla, or afterlife)

**Golden Wings**

**Part One -**

Hermione Granger sat in a small alcove in the forbidden forest surrounded by the trees and the quiet the forest had to offer. Many people were probably searching for her, but she needed the quiet to escape. Just for a moment. To process that the war was over.  _ To breathe. _ Harry Potter had defeated the Dark Wizard, Voldemort. Muggleborn witches and wizards were safe. Muggles were safe. Everyone was safe. Except she found that she was fighting an internal war within herself. She knew Harry would be searching for her. Ron as well. But, she’d been hiding a secret - one that had been affecting her since the battle at the Department of Mysteries. One she had been keeping from her very best friends for two _ very _ long years. 

What Harry and Ron didn’t know is that she  _ died _ that day.

__ _ Hermione had felt the flame hit her; the purple blurring her vision just as she felt her heart stop as the whip crashed into her body from the spell Antonio Delahov cast directly at her.  _

_ When she came to, she found herself in a strange place surrounded by golden light. A big hall of sorts - stone work everywhere. It ran on for miles but no one was within its midsts. Spinning around in all directions, she was shocked to see that they were floating in the sky. Clouds and golden light seeping on between the columns holding the building in place. One deep breath in, one deep breath out, she shut her eyes in an attempt to apparate (despite her being underage) but nothing happened.  _

_ “You’ll find that you won’t be able to leave this place, Hermione Granger. So please do not waste your magic.” Whirling around, Hermione felt her heart jump in her throat and fear grip the base of her spine as she turned to see a beautiful, unearthly woman standing before her. Long golden locks flowing down while bright golden eyes stared down at her. Her wear was not modern, but flowy and draped in several fabrics from head to toe and the cloak she wore was made of golden brown feathers.  _

_ “Who are you?” Hermione asked as she reached for her wand but came up with empty air.  _

_ “I am Freyja and you are at Valhalla,” the woman said as she stepped forward. “You have been chosen by Odin to be welcomed into the halls of Valhalla. You have fought bravely - especially for one so young. Your acts of bravery have deemed you worthy to join those of the warriors accepted into this great hall.” Freyja swept her hand behind her as she stepped back and suddenly Hermione could see men and women from all eras of life walking freely. Laughing. Hugging. Yelling. Warriors.  _

_ Another sweep and the image was taken away from her view. Hermione struggled to keep up with the information presented to her. “I am dead? I can’t die!! I have to help Harry! I have to help the Wizarding world. Please, release me. Let me help!” _

_ Freyja stared down at her. The golden eyes sharp as they seemed to stare straight into her soul. Hermione shivered against the chill that ran up her spine.  _

_ “You may live but for a price. Odin will grant you another chance at life, Hermione Granger but this chance does not come freely.” Freyja stepped forward and put her hand out. A flash of light and an odd winged helmet took up the free space. “Help Odin collect the courageous men and women who die in battle. Those who deserve to rest in the halls of Valhalla. Become a Valkyrie and bring them to us.” _

The choice wasn’t hard for Hermione. Anything to get back to Harry and Ron and to help the wizarding world. But the repercussions of her decision did not wait - the moment she woke in the arms of Neville Longbottom as he carried her out, she felt the first soul die. A soul she knew so very well. 

_ Sirius Black. _

That very night, she felt the power of the Valkyrie overtake her. A tattoo - a gift from Freyja; runes of old - glowed gold along her rib cage as she realized what she must do. Late in the night, she left Hogwarts and on the way to the forbidden forest, she felt the wings sprout from her back. Golden brown and feathery. A helmet - the one Freyja had pulled out - covered her face and by some unearthly magic, magic she did not recognize, she was no longer covered in her muggle clothes but of chain mail and metal armor. She was covered in a warrior garb of golden metal, but was not weighed down as she lifted into the skies where she flew back toward the Department of Mysteries. 

As she stepped into the same room he had died, she was surprised to see his soul waiting. 

_ “Hermione?” He questioned as he looked upon the face that was hers, but a much different person then the one he last saw. “What - can you see me?” _

_ She nodded as she held out a hand to him. “I’ve come to take you to Valhalla, Sirius. It’s time for you to rest. _

And just like that, her life was forever changed. Night after night, she would feel the souls dying around her. A strange hollow pain whispering through her with each soul’s death - whether they were destined for Valhalla or not. The tattoo would glow - a warning - that she was to go find the warrior that had passed and take him or her to Valhalla. Strangers mostly. Some she knew distantly.

The night Harry was to be moved from the Dursleys’ Hermione had to cast a Confundus Charm on Kingsley Shacklebolt when she felt a death rise up.

_ She felt the moment he passed. His anger had gripped to his soul. She knew in that moment, nothing would stop her from going to him. Going to him so she could take him herself to the halls of Valhalla. He would be welcomed with open arms.  _

_ She had whispered, “Confundus” under her breath, making Shacklebolt take the Threstal they had been riding going in the opposite direction as she had risen up and jumped off. Her wings broke free and off she flew toward her destination. _

_ He had been spitting nails by the time she arrived. _

_ “Granger!” He snarled as he paced. She had paused when he spoke to her. His lack of surprise caused her to startle. He had noticed and pointed to his mechanical eye. “I see everything.”  _

_ “You’ve known this the whole time?” She questioned as she moved toward him. _

_ Huffing again. “Take me away -hmph. Stupid Mundungus. I shouldn’t - just get on with it.”  _

_ Holding her arm out, “Let’s go Moody. I have someone who is very eager to meet you.” Together they walked into the halls of Valhalla where many warriors raced up to the older man and dragged him in to tell the tales they had been waiting for. She had glimpsed another man with a patch over his eye waiting at a table but when she turned to look closer, he was gone.  _

But the night of May 2nd, she had felt her own soul breaking as felt the souls passing through her with each passing breath. Some she recognized and some foreign. As she had descended down into the Chamber of Secrets with Ron, she could feel the tattoo aching against her rib cage. She had gritted her teeth as she raced down the wet chamber, she fought against the urge. Fought against the transformation she knew was itching to let itself out. It worked.

Until suddenly it didn’t. As Ron and her came up from the chamber, she felt the wings trying to break free as he was longingly looking at her, adrenaline coursing through their veins. A strange itch between her shoulder blades; her wings attempting to break free. His blue eyes conveying so many emotions but he failed to see the inner turmoil raging within her. She didn’t have the fortitude to fight the battle in her, fight against her nature, and fight Ron, so she grabbed Ron when he reached for her and kissed him. The kiss did nothing except keep the Valkyrie at bay. When she had imagined kissing her crush, she had hoped for the fireworks or the spark to ignite but instead it left ash in her mouth. Her mind raced to just be anywhere but there, to keep the Valkyrie at bay.

_ Just hold on, _ she whispered to her counterpart. 

By the time she was able to slip away, regret hit her full force. Souls calling out to her. Screams of the fallen. Cries of the dead. She had walked down to the battlefield to find so many of her loved ones waiting. Confusion flickering across their faces. Heartache. So many innocent lives were lost. So many people she cherished. 

Remus Lupin. Nymphadora Tonks. They would not live to see their son grow. To raise him. 

Fred Weasley. He would not see his family any longer. He would leave his other half all alone on this plane. He would never know life as a husband. A father. A lover. 

Lavender Brown. She would never get the family she longed for. To be a wife and mother.

Severus Snape. He would never get to experience the redemption he fought so fiercely for. He would never get to hear Harry’s forgiveness. No one would know just all he had sacrificed. 

So very many and while she knew they had died valiantly fighting for a better world and for those they loved, it fractured something inside of her.

_ She had met Freyja at the hall. Saying goodbye wasn’t allowed but when she handed her loved ones, she looked up at the goddess with tears in her eyes. “I don’t think this is something I can keep doing. It hurts.” _

_ Freyja rested a hand on the Valkyrie’s shoulder and kissed her forehead. “Because of your compassion, I know Odin and I have chosen right in welcoming you into the Valkyries. You are fierce. You are courageous. You will do great things, Hermione Granger.” _

_ Before she could leave though, a hand reached for her. Turning back, she had looked into the eyes of the very best professor she had ever known. _

_ “Remus,” she whispered as the tears started to fall. _

_ He reached out to brush them but when his hand passed through her, she saw the hollowness in his eyes. _

_ “Hermione, brightest witch of her age, and a Valkyrie,” he murmured as he stepped away. “Please look out for my son. Let him know how much we loved him. How hard we fought for a better world for him. And please, know that we will all be okay.” She had nodded. A lump in her throat caused her to keep silent in fear she would sob right there on the steps of Valhalla.  _

_ And with a brush of her wings, she returned to Hogwarts. She returned so she could begin the steps to help rebuild the wizarding world, the wizarding school, and her very tired, broken soul. _

  
  


She stood up from her place within the forbidden forest, feeling the weight of her wings finally recede, and returned to the wreck that was once Hogwarts. So many bodies laid before her but she could see they were soulless - she knew they were because she had been the one to return them to Valhalla. She didn’t leave her thoughts to wonder about those that did not make it into Valhalla. It was not her job to worry about those.

Ron and Harry came to her at once with questions, but she brushed them off as quick and quietly as she could. She could see the fierce determination in Harry’s eyes as he looked about the destruction.

“Walk with me,” he said as he made his way out of the main hall. Ron had taken her hand as they followed Harry out of the Hall and down the steps toward the broken bridge. His fingers pressed tightly against her own, but her eyes were on Harry as she saw the golden light glaring so brightly from Harry’s person. She was sure no one but herself saw it - the hero’s light was glowing so brightly. There was no doubt that Harry Potter would have been taken into Odin’s arms the moment he stepped into the halls of Valhalla. Part of her wondered with a great curiosity, when he had died if Odin or Freyja had welcomed him but sent him back. Much like they had years ago for herself. 

But Harry had told them that he had seen Dumbledore. Dumbledore had greeted him in the afterlife. Not Odin. Not Freyja.

“Harry!” Ron had yanked her from her musings with his shout. As she came to, she watched as Harry broke the Elder wand into two pieces and chucked it off into the ravine below them. 

Harry Potter did not give in to temptation and this was why he would always be the Hero of the tale. He would die a hero, and while she hoped it would not be for a long time, she would take him to the halls of Valhalla and feel nothing but pride for her best friend.

As they walked back, Hermione slipped her hand from Ron’s and fell a few paces back. She let the words pass through her as the two boys in front of her talked about the future. About the past. Her arm, she pressed against her chest, where the words were still stinging from the knife that had dug into her skin.  _ Mudblood. _

But she was now so much  _ more _ than that single word. She was a warrior. A chosen one - of a different sort. She was a  _ Valkyrie _ .

Sighing heavily, she pushed herself forward to catch up when she caught a flash of blonde hair racing off into the Forbidden forest. As her gaze turned to look, surprise hit her chest as she saw the soft silver light surrounding his person as he disappeared into the treeline with his mother and father.


	2. Part Two

**Part Two -**

Hermione stayed at Hogwarts despite her new task. Despite the boys joining the Aurors training program. She chose to stay. She chose to try to find a semblance of normalcy after everything they had been through. Yes, she was now tasked with taking the souls of the dead - of the warriors to Valhalla, but that didn’t stop her from being a 19 year old girl. She needed a routine. She needed books. She  _ needed _ school to ground her. 

It wasn’t easy walking into the main hall that year. Especially when she had seen barely a third of the previous seventh year students return. Neville had returned. At least one familiar face, she had thought as she sat across from him.

But that wasn’t quite true either. Draco Malfoy sat at the end of the Slytherin table with only a few returning seventh years, now eighth years. The glow she saw last spring was faint, but there. Still a silvery cast where with most, she saw gold. Her brow furrowed as she looked at him. Her eyes glazed a bit as she attempted to get a read on the man now sitting before her. Rather than the boy that had fought across the battlefield from her just last spring. 

He must have felt her stare because he whipped around to stare right back. For a moment, they just looked at one another. Her thoughts wandered as she took in the hard cheek bones, jagged jaw line and the white blonde hair - short but no longer slicked back. Now it lay haphazardly across his brow. Instead of gel to keep it back, it was like he just ran a hand through it as he rolled out of bed. His figure was still gaunt - she was sure from the stresses that he had dealt with all summer.

She had been at every trial of the Malfoy family. Lucius Malfoy was in Azkaban - 10 year sentence for his crimes. Narcissa Malfoy was house band for three years. Many thought this generous but when Harry had come to the trial to speak on the behalf of Narcissa for saving his life, the many quickly quieted down. Draco Malfoy’s trial - that had been an ill affair. Many wanted him tried as an adult but Harry had stepped up again. He fought for Draco Malfoy - a boy who had been born on the wrong side and had done what he could to protect his family. Fought for a boy who kept his mouth shut about the presence of the Golden Trio being in his halls when his aunt had torn into the flesh of a mudblood’s arm.

It still astonished Hermione to this day that the Valkyrie had been quiet - dormant even during that time. It was lucky too because in her heart, she knew that they would not have survived the night if Bellatrix Lestrange had discovered her true nature. She probably would have plucked her wings right from her back and used them for decor in the main hall for the Dark Lord to view. 

The staring had ended when Professor McGonnagal - nay Headmistress McGonnagal had taken center stage to discuss the new year. Eight years were housed in their own tower - their houses combined. No longer split to create segregation, but unity. To mend fences. Hermione had chuckled thinking about the boys if they had been there. Their reactions would not have been docile, that was for sure.

Most days - in between classes - Hermione took her extra time in the Library. When she wasn’t studying for OWLS or working on an assignment, she put her energy into finding anything about Valkyries and how they came to be. There weren’t many books to be found on the subject creating more frustration than anything. What she was able to find had only been in books on lore or sightings from muggles. But those sightings were quickly dismissed because, well, they were muggles to put it simply. 

——————

By the time the holidays rolled around, her brief summer romance had fizzled out. The prophet was reporting on Ron and his many new dates, his defection from the training program with the Aurors. While she kept in touch with him, it was Harry she still spoke to the most. He would send letters when he could in between his trainings, even floo called a few times, but his calls were really for Ginny Weasley. Hermione was happy for them. She knew Harry longed for a family and by marrying Ginny he’d be getting the biggest one he’d ever known.

Her struggles came late at night though when she’d wake with the tattoo glowing against her rib cage. Sometimes it would burn to wake her from a deep sleep and other times it would shine so brightly that she could see it through her night shirt. She never could figure out the reasoning why one happened versus the other. She had asked Freyja once but the Goddess had simply shrugged her shoulders in response to the question.

Christmas Eve she found herself sneaking from the tower down to the forbidden forest once more. The snow was light and falling as the full moon above shown brightly so she may see her path. The slight pain from her back was itching to be released, but she waited. She needed to be in the forbidden forest before she released the Valkyrie inside her. Anyone could see her.

But not just anyone did. 

Draco Malfoy was leaning against a tree when she came to the tree line of the Forest. He was wrapped in a thick coat with a scarf wrapped around his neck. His eyes were frosted over as he watched her walk the last few steps toward him.

“What are you doing out here, Malfoy?” She questioned as she pulled her jacket tighter against her, wrapping her slender arms around her midriff. 

“Not freezing my arse off like you,” he snarked as he raised an eyebrow at her. Hermione could not argue. She had chosen not to wear much since it would disappear once her transformation took off.

Frustrated, she took him in and let her eyes adjust to the darkness. Shock made her pause when she saw a dark aura encasing Malfoy rather than the once silver light. Unsure why, she felt fear slide into her belly. 

She’d only seen the darkness once. When she had come to take a warrior to Valhalla but instead found a soul who had taken his own life. He had been destined for Glory but he hadn’t known it. Too lost in the misery and darkness that he carried in his mind. She recognized it in the man before her.

“Malfoy.” She whispered as she took a step forward letting her arms drop. Forgetting about the temperature, she let the Valkyrie shimmer through just a bit. Her eyes glowed gold instead of their warm brown. He stepped back when he caught sight of the change. 

“What are you doing?” He questioned as her hand reached for him.

“Odin waits for you, Draco Malfoy,” she murmured as she felt the Valkyrie rising more and more with each second. She felt the clothes she had worn out to the forest give way to the metal armor. “For your sacrifice during the war, to save your family. Odin waits.”

Malfoy’s eyes widened as he took another step back only to fall into the tree behind him. He slid down slowly as he stared at the woman changing before him. The fluffy haired girl with the once buck teeth was changing before his very eyes. He had noticed over the past few years she was no longer that girl; that she had grown up and become more pretty with each passing day, but this transformation was something he had never seen. A tendril a fear slipped into his body when he heard her voice - not Granger but still Granger. A worldly voice added as if it echoed her words.

“But if you take your life, your soul will not make it into Valhalla, Draco Malfoy.” Her wings unfolded from her body and rose with her as she ascended into the sky. “Odin waits. He knows your struggles. He sees you fighting the darkness even now. Will you disappoint him?” One last puff of her wings and she was gone.


	3. Part Three

**Part Three -**

Hermione woke the next morning to a splitting headache. Rolling over in her bed, she reached for the water bottle she tried to keep on her night stand. As she grabbed the cool metal, she caught sight of the figure leaning against her door and a shriek escaped her lungs as she flung herself off her bed.

“What on earth are you doing in here, Malfoy?”

“I’m trying to figure out what sort of trick you pulled last night! You don’t know anything and you don’t get to bring your high and mighty attitude to rain down on my parade!” He shouted stepping closer. “WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?’

Hermione put her hand over her ears and flinched at the tone in his voice. “I didn’t do anything, Malfoy. Did you possibly dream something and didn’t like it so you are now in here yelling at me?”

He paused. His eyes narrowed as he looked for the signs of her lie. She knew better. She’d been lying for the greater part of two years, going on three, and she wasn’t about to let her mistake last night mess this all up for her. She watched him watch her until he noticed his eyes trailing down to her attire. She had gone to sleep in a comfy t-shirt and her yoga shorts that she knew showed off her toned, golden legs.

Uneasiness filled her when his gaze lingered a moment longer.

“Why is your shirt glowing?”

“Fuck,” she cursed. How was she going to explain this one away, she thought as she made a move for him. “Get out, Malfoy. Get out now.” She turned him around, trying hard not to notice the firm muscles under her hands or just how broad his shoulders really were. She paused as she turned to shut the door and turned a questioning look. “How did you get past my wards?”

This time Malfoy smirked as he brushed nonexistent lint from his shoulders. “You’re not the only smart one in the school, Granger.” He turned around and headed down the stairs whistling as he went. Granger huffed as she slammed the door shut. She knew this was bad. Draco Malfoy was like a dog with a bone. There was no stopping him once he got a scent of something.

She knew that she would have to inform Freyja, but unsure of how to get in contact with her. The only time she had spoken to the goddess had been when she dropped off Warriors' souls. 

Hoping against hope itself, she sent up a little prayer to the Goddess that she may be called upon again that night.

Her prayer had been answered.

_ Hermione set down the small soul of a young man at the gates of Valhalla. She tried not to linger on just how old he was or how he had died. In the two years of her duty to Odin and Freyja, she found that it helped her sanity not to linger on the who and the why or the how. Or it would just eat her alive. _

_ “Hermione Granger,” the Goddess greeted as she met the young Valkyrie on the white hard steps of Valhalla.  _

_ “Goddess Freyja,” she bowed her head, feeling her helmet shift with her.  _

_ “You wished to speak with me?”  _

_ Hermione took a deep breath and bowed her head as the guilt set in. “I think I have been found out. In a moment of weakness, I revealed my true form.” _

_ Silence. _

_ “Hermione Granger, you were meant to find him and save him from a fate worse than death. Odin wants him in his halls. It is your duty to make sure that he continues down the path he has chosen - not fall into despair.” _

_ Hermione was shocked. She felt her jaw drop as she looked upon the magnificent woman before her. “I can’t! I’m a Valkyrie. I’m supposed to bring souls to Odin and you, not make sure they die a certain way! Isn’t that defying fate?” _

_ Freyja smiled serenely as she turned to walk up the stair way once more. “Save the boy, Hermione.” _

Hermione had returned back to Hogwarts more confused than ever before. How was she supposed to save the man that didn’t want to be saved?

————————-

Her answer came many weeks later when she found herself late in the night walking back to the Forbidden Forest once more. Her late night flights had dwindled after the holidays and she found herself only being called once, possibly twice every other week. 

So when she had felt a weird burn to her tattoo - without the light - and no ache between her shoulder blades, she decided to make her way to the forest where she could try to figure out what was happening. 

As she walked upon a clearing she found Draco Malfoy standing in the middle with a dagger in his hand. Her heart stopped.

“Don’t come closer, Granger,” he whispered as he looked at the ground before him.

“Malfoy -“

“I figured out what you are - what you change into,” he murmured. She shouldn’t have been able to hear him from the edge of the clearing but she knew the Valkyrie was rising up in her. “You are a messenger of death.” He wasn’t wrong. He wasn’t quite right, but he wasn’t wrong. “You take the dead to their final resting place.” Again, not wrong. Not quite right, but not wrong. “You’re waiting for me to die, aren’t you?” He didn’t wait for her answer. He turned his gaze up toward the sky. “Everyone else seems to be waiting for me to die; or they’re acting like I’m already dead.”

Her heart ached at his words. She could feel his pain in her own heart as she saw the darkness seeping out of him once more.

“My father writes to me, ya know? To tell me that I’m his greatest failure. That I didn’t sacrifice enough for the family and that he no longer wishes to call me his son. His heir.” Hermione felt the true desolation in his voice. Defeat coloring every word. Her heart sank further as she tried to imagine what he may be feeling as he had once idolized his father - then to have his father turn around and say those very words to his own flesh and blood. Anger colored her vision.

“My mother - she’s slowly wilting away. She can’t leave the house. No one visits her other than me and all she does is cry about father. She can’t even notice that I’m… I’m falling. I can’t seem to stop falling.”

“Draco,” she whispered as she stepped forward. He didn’t seem to be listening though. He didn’t even notice when she took more steps toward him.

“I’m a mess. I’m a failure. I couldn’t help the Dark Lord. I couldn’t help the winning side. I can’t do anything right. I’m supposed to be the smartest. I had all the teachers, I had everything growing up and yet a mudbl - muggleborn... can best me in everything.” His eyes flashed up at her. “Why can’t I do anything right?” The pure agony dripping in his words created a hollow cavern in her own.

“Draco, you did everything you could with the cards that were dealt to you.” Again, another step. “You did not tell your aunt that she had Harry in her house. You did not kill Dumbledodre. You protected your family the best way possible.” She saw the tears begin to race down his pale skin. His porcelain skin was glowing in the moonlight. His silver eyes bright with fear and loneliness. 

“Then why do I feel so broken,” he whispered as he brought the dagger closer to himself. A few more steps closer. “I’ve got this brokenness in me that I cannot fix. I’ve tried - and it just - Hermione, it’s eating me alive.”

Two more steps and she was before him. With slow and gentle movements, she brought her hands up to cup his cheeks. Despite her average stature, Draco still towered over her. “Everyone is a little broken, Draco,” she murmured as she stared into his eyes. “But we use that brokenness to rebuild something stronger.”

“What if I can’t?” His voice hesitated on the last word. 

“You can. I believe in you.” She let one of her hands drop to his arm where the dagger hung loosely in his fingers. “I can help you, Draco but you have to let me in.”

“What if I can’t do that either?” He leaned down to rest his head against her shoulder. “You’re good. I don’t want to taint you with my darkness.” Taking the dagger from his hand, she used her magic to vanish it before wrapping her arms around him.

“I want to see your darkness, Draco. I can only see the stars when it’s dark out - “ She had to stop when his own arms wrapped around her, crushing her to him as he sucked in a lungful of air. Choking on a sob, he shook in her arms. 

“Please don’t let me fall,” he whispered.

“No Draco, I’m going to help you fly,” she murmured back as she held him tightly to her. When she opened her eyes to look at him, she was startled to see some of the blackness leaving room for the silver light to shine through. Like little specks of starlight. 

“We are going to be okay,” and for once, she believed her own words


End file.
